What's The Top Speed Of A Harley-Davidson Street Glide & How Much HP Does It Have?
We recently reviewed Harley-Davidson sales figures to see which model sold the most in America, and, interestingly, the Grand American Touring family had the highest number of shipped motorcycles across the entire Harley-Davidson lineup. Those results weren't surprising, given how popular Harley tourers are, and none more so than the Street Glide, a beast of a motorcycle that perfectly encapsulates what many people mean when they talk about timeless Americana. Harley-Davidson debuted the FLHX Street Glide in 1984 and released it the following year. Since then, it has been refining every aspect of the bike, with one key point being the engine, which went from a 1337cc V-Twin capable of putting out about 50 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque to a liquid-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin rated at 107 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque.
The Street Glide was a head turner from the start, featuring many of the add-ons that Harley usually includes in its luxury tourers, such as saddlebags and a fork-mounted fairing. While its top speed wasn't sportsbike-level, it was just enough for those peaceful, sunny Sunday-afternoon rides. That speed aspect seems to have carried over to the current bike model, though in an improved form, as top speed varies between different models. Harley-Davidson doesn't publish official top-speed figures for its latest bikes. However, based on test runs like those by Riding in the Ozarks and bde269 on YouTube, we can see that the bike (with an untampered ECU) reaches a top speed of about 107 miles per hour, the speed set by the bike's factory speed limiter. If you override the limiter by tuning the ECU, you may be able to increase the motorcycle's top speed to about 125 miles per hour.
The Street Glide has received several engine upgrades over the years
Former Harley-Davidson vice president and motorcycle legend Willie G. Davidson designed the Street Glide as a bike that wasn't really your typical luxury tourer or even cruiser, two of Harley's most recognizable motorcycle types at the time. This difference in style meant the Street Glide had some work to do if it was to win over Harley fans completely, and that would happen some decades later with a redesign that thrust the Street Glide to the top of many a bike enthusiast's list.
The Street Glide engine received several improvements at the turn of the century. That original 1337cc V-Twin was swapped out for a larger 1449cc, which would be followed in 2007 by another expansion, when Harley installed a 1584cc Twin Cam 96 engine on the Street Glide. Of course, the larger displacement meant better performance, as the Twin Cam 96 could hurl the Street Glide to a top speed of 115 miles per hour. The engine underwent another swap in 2012, when Harley-Davidson installed the 1690cc Twin Cam 103 engine on the Street Glide.
This year also marked Willie G.'s final year before retiring and handing the designing torch to his successor. Even so, the Street Glide would continue to receive more engine upgrades throughout the 2010s, culminating in the Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin engine used on the 2025 model. The same engine also appeared on the 2024 model, meaning the two bikes have roughly the same horsepower and top speed.